Aging has never been more relevant to me than now that I am in my thirties. Twenty years ago, I never pictured this chapter of my life as colourful as now from valuable lessons, painful experiences, and happy moments.
According to National Scientist Gelia Castillo, aging strikes those in government power the hardest. I agree! If you are a director now or holds a high position in the government service, then you are most likely not to age gracefully. When you decide to retire at the age of 65, the first symptoms of not aging gracefully includes anxiety, restlessness, and sudden boredom. A day after your last day at the office, you suddenly realise the sudden slowing down of your life. You no longer need to rush. You do not need to take a bath early. You do not need to pump up the adrenaline at six in the morning. This first retirement day syndrome is, of course, not true to everybody.
People with well-established emotional and social support from family, relatives, and friends would likely not feel sad having more me-time and spending a Thursday morning with cousins.
The working class has a daily routine of home-work-home with occasional inserts made up of booze and out of town trips. The workers, or people from this class, have eyes only for their salaries and bills they need to pay at the end of the month. They have goals of saving money for the enrollment of their children. Have you tried asking the workers how many times in a year they go out for a camping or trekking or simply going out of town? Do you find an answer like “yes, we have an annual trip to Batangas” funny? Or do you feel sad that they do not realise working hard everyday for nothing? That they just work and work and work until they are no longer fit for a hike to the summit of Mount Guiting-Guiting.
You cannot totally blame the working class for not reaping the fruits of their hardwork. Their supervisors or bosses expect them to work on weekends and holidays. Do you think you can enjoy swimming in the waters of Boracay if you know you have a report to submit at 8am on the day you get back to work?
These bosses, if they are not careful on how they treat their subordinates during the last leg of their career, would likely to fall deep into the bog of sadness and anxiety. They will experience difficulty in adjusting from a fast-paced lifestyle to a laid-back, calm state. They will suddenly feel that no one is always available to give the things they need, like in an office where they have staff for almost all kinds of task.
Aging gracefully is like enjoying the Earth for a bit longer. If you would like to experience it, start respecting after-office hours, weekends, and holidays now. We feel happier knowing we can take a rest and spend quality time with our loved ones even for just two days a week.
Take a rest. Age gracefully. And be happy.
DEXTERIFICATION 